Top 12: "MEN" of Anime

TLDR;

You would be hard pressed to find ANY characters more manly than those featured in this list! They are the Titans of Testosterone, The Megaliths of Manliness, and the Epitome of what it means to be a REAL man. However they aren't ALWAYS men. Hell not all of them are even adults. This is a redux of my top ten I did for the Fuck Up Gentlemen back on v4, including some I left out of ignorance and another i was jsut too lazy to include last time. EACH one Represents a facet of true manliness and maturity. There is something we could all learn from EVERY ONE of these characters. So pay close attention.

Hey there g1's, this is Kenshiro3 bringing you a redux of my Top Ten "Men of Anime & manga." The original version of the list that I posted in the on v4 of ScrewAttack now has too many broken embeds that I needed fixing & now v4 is gone. They were crucial to my explanations. In fact, The entire description I wrote for Vegeta is nothing but the joke. I instead chose to SHOW you why I chose him with the legendary Set Aside the Pride (Vegeta's Sacrifice) AMV. It it PERFECTLY illustrates why I chose him, and what makes him so completely manly. It's the ONLY explanation you will EVER need. I have, also, since viewed a certain series... Meaning I gotta revise my list as well. I feel that I will be making enough changes (some of them small some of them large) that it warrants a new post!

Many got angered over my exclusion of a certain series character. They were right to be angered. That man DEFINITELY deserves a spot on this list. May its bad ass leader & man of indomitable spirit and masculinity forgive me and look upon me with pity for my ignorance. WHO THE HELL DO I THINK I AM TO BE ABLE TO LEAVE HIM OFF THIS LIST?! For him not to have a spot on this list is an insult to the term manliness itself.

This list contains the TOP twelve "Men" in anime & manga history!!! As a special collaborative effort. I oriignally asked very close and dear friend of mine help me out on my eighth & ninth positions. His name is Shintai. He is an EXPERIENCED reviewer and video maker, and an AWESOME friend.

This is a list of not just badassitude but REAL manliness and MATURITY! This is a list of GAR. This is a list of people who are manly inside an out! The "men" in this list are individuals that are more than just BADASS! Being manly is more than just looking cool and kicking ass! Many are badass but few are TRULY MANLY. To make this list you must be more than a badass you must have TRUE INTERNAL STRENGTH as well! No matter how strong you are on the outside if its internal structure is flimsy it will cave in on itself! However when built upon a skeleton of INNER STENGTH even the WEAKEST among us can become the greatest of us ALL! This list focuses on those internal qualities that make one TRULY strong!

Honorable Mention: Raoh (Fist of the North Star/Hokuto no Ken)

Raoh, the very name invokes images of brutality, cruelty, & heartlessness... and believe it or no,t self sacrifice. He was man enough to destroy himself, become a monster, and do the monstrous acts that were needed, so that the world could be rebuilt. He was cruel, he was heartless, he brutally slaughtered thousands! He masterminded EVERY SINGLE ONE of his little brother's tragedies. This man was a demon. He was also one of the men responsible for the worlds salvation after the nuclear nightmare! He killed his heart, left all compassion behind, to pick up the shattered pieces of the world put them back together by force, & become the end of century conqueror.

He became the demon the world needed. He became the world's greatest monster in order to unite the world against him. He became more terrible than the monsters he sought to stop from tearing the world apart. He became the demon that devoured demons. He took the old saying keep your friends close and your enemies closer about as far as you can take it.

He turned his brother's life into a crucible of tragedy, pain, & suffering in order forge him into the savior the world needed. He did it to make him strongest EVER... Strong enough to take him out when the time came! He was a mastermind. However, he wasn't masterminding the destruction of the world or his brother, though. He was masterminding its REBIRTH! While he was the leader of the "Badguys" and the baddest of the bad, he was playing for the other team and gathering all the villains under his flag in order to WIPE THEM OUT WHEN THE TIME CAME! That's right this man was the villain of the series but was in fact its tragic hero as well who destroyed himself and his memory all for the sake or rebuilding the world by crushing all hope. He left it up to his little brother to return its hope... He was a REAL man. However he was also a monster the likes few series have ever matched. The man was a rampaging beast. Thus, he only manages to earn the runner up spot.

10: Char Aznable (Gundam Series)

Char the GREATEST Antagonist/Villain of the ENTIRE Gundam franchise. He is the ORIGINAL Masked Mobile Suit Pilot and one of the franchises most complex characters. Why is a "villain" on here you, ask? What makes him a real man? The answer to that is, his tenacious dedication to his duty. He saw it his duty to fight for the rights of spacenoids (people living in space colonies). He dedicated himself body and soul to that cause.

He fought with a tenacity and cunning earned him the nickname of The Red Comet. He earned it due to the red color of his custom Mobile Suits, and the blazing speed and devastating effectiveness to which he employed them.

Char The Great - Andrew W.K.

He was a villain to some, a hero to others. He ALWAYS fought for those he felt it was his duty to protect. He NEVER abandoned his duty. Whether he fought as a villain or hero, it mattered NOT to him. He did both, often at the same time. The only thing that mattered to him was his duty to those he protected. He led from the front lines and led by example. He was dedicated to fighting oppression no matter where it was rooted. It mattered not who the oppressors were. Earth or the colonies leaders themselves he ALWAYS fought for the people. However, in the end, his tenacity became his hubris. You see, it turned to obsession.

Eventually, that obsession lead to his destruction. He began to confuse his obsession with his duty. He began to use is duty to justify his personal vendetta against his rival and the man who accidentally killed the one he loved most. After that he stopped being a man. He became a mad dog. He no longer fought to for others. He fought for himself. He used others, literally and figuratively, to justify his vendetta. He began putting into harms way those he swore to protect! His own worst enemy became himself. In failing to realize that, he ended up destroying himself and EVERYTHING that he had once fought so hard to protect!

9: Claire (Claymore)

Shintai: You don’t need to be a man to be manly! While very easy on the eyes, Claire from Claymore is a chick you don’t want to mess with! She wields a rather sizable blade known as a Claymore and uses it to slay demons called Yoma. Claire is the epitome of being an underdog. She's always under-appreciated, always being made fun of and scoffed at by her fellow Claymore because of her low rank, but in actuality, Claire is probably one of the strongest of the Claymore and has insane potential. Claire makes even the most chiseled male fighters quiver with fear due to her great strength and capabilities.

Claymore ED - Danzai no Hana

However, Claire is still trying to figure out herself, and doesn’t quite know how to control her powers yet. So, she isn’t some unstoppable being. There is a lot of tension during fights and I think it speaks even more about her when she fights against beings she knows she can’t win against. Again, chalk it up to the underdog persona. Claire is a badass courageous fighter who fights for what she believes in even when the odds are against her. Always coming out on top when nobody expects it!

8 : Guts (Berserk)

Shintai: Guts… a man so incredibly bad ass that the only name suitable for him is after something he sees every day of his life. Guts totes around an enormous sword known as the Dragon Slayer. This sword is so ridiculous that even the manga jokes that the sword is more of a slab of giant iron rather than a sword. However, just having a big sword isn’t enough! Even before Guts had the Dragon Slayer, he was using huge swords, but he knows damn well how to use them! Hell there was even one time when he fought 100 men, at the same time, AND WON.

Berserk - Forces (God Hand Mix)

Not only is Guts a beast of a fighter but he’s also a man willing to sacrifice himself for the one he loves, which is a trait far too seldom seen. The moment that illustrates this point perfectly is when Guts’s arm is being gnawed on by a demon, he sees the woman he loves being raped, and to try and save her, HE CUTS OFF HIS OWN ARM! If that isn’t the epitome of self-sacrifice and all around manliness, I dunno what is. Guts is not only an incredibly bad ass character, but a great character all around who goes through intense hardships and character development far more complex than one would immediately perceive just by looking at him. Guts, more than just a muscle bound beast of a man, but a loyal and honorable person willing to give his life for the ones he cares about.

7: Captain Harlock (Space Captain Harlock)

What makes Captain Harlock so MANLY? Two Words. SPACE PIRATE! He is the ORIGINAL Space Pirate. The one ALL others are based on! The stick by which ALL others are judged! The man is a noble rogue that fights for no one's sake... only for something deep in his heart. He fights for his beliefs and against cruel oppression. He's also a romantic. In short he is a ladies’ man. And The Ladies LOVE Cool Harlock. One more thing He has a Laser Rapier. He as a Rapier that fires fucking LASERS! HE INVENTED THE GUN BLADE AND UNLIKE THOSE OF FF8 HIS IS ACTAULLY PRACTICAL! However these things are not but window dressing conceling a man of incredible strength & ideals!

While he fights for what he believes in. He takes NO pleasure in these battles, nor in their victories. The man broods over EVERY life lost due to his actions, this includes his enemies. He fights to protect the Earth from a threat that NO ONE cares about, or believes is real save him and his his friends. He fights even though he hates killing. He FIGHTS to protect the world even though the world hates him & wishes he were dead. He fights for humanity even though he dispises what it has become! Most of all, he fights for his BELIEFS. This man fights to rouse the fighting spirit! He fights to kindle the fires within the seemingly lost heart of humanity. Throwing away his life for Earth and humanity, he lives on!

Captain Harlock is the essense of the fighting spirit, the essense of the HUMAN spirit! And, THAT is what makes him a REAL man! If you don't stand up and fight for your beliefs, you are DOOMED to FALL under the iron thumb of the beliefs and desires of OTHERS. And, that is oppression. All that it takes for evil to triumph is for us to do NOTHING. And, when that happens ywe forfeit our human spirit. Captain Harlock fights so that will the human spirit will live on. THAT is why he is a TRUE HERO!

6: Black Jack (Black Jack/21)

ANYONE can kill & destroy. It take a REAL man to show compassion, and, instead, save lives. Black Jack personifies this. He is a doctor. However, he isn't just ANY doctor. He is the greatest doctor EVER to live... in anime & manga. This man is the INSPIRATION for House. In short his work is ground breaking.

He is House and MacGuyver rolled into one. This is a man capable of surgically removing memory, LITERALLY. He can EVEN perform open cavity exploratory surgery on himself, WITHOUT anesthetic. He can also create a twin sister for you from a cancer tumor in your body. He can and does save the world with only his scalpel, mind, and preternaturally steady hand. And, he does it, ALL, while following the Hippocratic oath which he REFUSES to take.

That’s right he is unlicensed. He refuses to be bound to the hypocrisy that shackles the medical profession. He provides his services indiscriminately. He refuses to let insurance companies and bean counters decide who he can and can't save. He is reviled by doctors for charging absurd amounts for his work. However, he doesn't to charge ANYONE that truly needs them, and is willing to pay. In fact he actually refuses their payment. Instead, he only charges those who DON'T need them and WASTE his time and services. He is a medical Robin Hood, who only charges the people that he finds evil. Believe it or not, he donates MOST of the excess fees to charity.

5: Motoko "The Major" Kusanagi (Ghost in the Shell)

Having a dick don’t make you manly. Accordingly, having a set of tits don't disqualify you either. Nor, does your sexual preference preclude you from this either. What matters in the end is one thing. Are you a bitch?

The Major is more woman than most men can handle. She's bi as well. That being said she is also more manly than most men in anime or otherwise. And, she is NOBODY's BITCH! She may speak softly and conduct long in-depth Sociopolitical & Philosophical discussions of the nature of free will and the true nature & meaning of life. But, she Can and WILL Ghost you 50 ways from Sunday along with EVERYONE of your mechanized bodyguards!!! Often times she ghost hacks (hacking someones brain) them and lets them do the work for her.

GitS SAC 2nd Gig OP - Origa - Rise

She ALWAYS uses her brain. THAT’S how she wins ALL her battles. And RARELY loses her cool. I've only seen her lose it ONCE, when a man in a robotic suit pretty much raped her. And it didn’t end well for him. She didn’t get stupid. She got scary, WICKED SCARY, emptying an entire clip of fifty cal high velocity rounds from an anti tank rifle into the dude from point blank range. She faces some of the trickiest and deepest philosophical questions and moral dilemmas mankind will ever face in her day to day life. And, she doesn't shrink from them one bit. She tackles them Head on. Manliness knows no gender. And, in the Ghost in the Shell series, Motoko Kusanagi proves this! She is more of a man than ANYONE in this or most other series, or even real life for that matter.

4: Edward Elric (Full Metal Alchemist)

Edward may be a kid. But, he's been to hell and back... LITERALLY! He may be Immature (don’t EVER call him short or suffer the consequences.) But, thanks to his ordeal, he is wiser than most people could EVER hope become.

Dont EVER Call Ed Short

He Knows the depths of the human soul, INTIMATELY, as well as the worth of a Human Life! Edward is no slouch when it comes to combat either. He is a FULLY Qualified State Alchemist. What does that mean? It means, he is a human weapon of mass destruction!!! If he wanted he could create a thermonuclear detonation simply by clapping his hands! He may work for the military but he is NOONES DOG. He fights for the people. And, works to return his brother Al to his original Body. This leads me to why I say he’s been through Hell, literally.

He and his brother attempted the forbidden. They performed Human Alchemy. They tried to bring their mom back from the dead. In doing so, he was brought before the gates of hell & his brother's body was consumed by them. However he managed to bind his brothers Soul to a suit of armor. All it cast was an arm and leg, literally!

Not only has Ed seen hell literally, but he has also seen the depths to which humanity and the world can sink in his quest to restore his brother’s body! That means, he’s been through hell figuratively as well! Through it all Ed has grown incredibly wise and gained a level of maturity and true manliness few ever HOPE to reach. All this was accomplished by the tender age of 17.

3: Vegeta (Dragon Ball Z)

Vegeta is The Prince of ALL Saiyans! And, he’s not afraid to tell you all about it right before he flips you off and blasts you into "the next Dimension!" There is Only ONE thing he TRULY fears... GHOST NAPPA!!!

Ghost Nappa:

All Jokes aside, what List about manly characters would be complete without a visit to DBZ? NONE I tell you! And, Vegeta is EASILY the most baddass of the series' testosterone overloaded characters!!!

He is EXTEMELY short, and his temper is even shorter! His hobbies include conquering and destroying planets, commiting genocide, searching for the Dragonballs, and obsessing over his rival Goku who he insists on calling by his Saiyan name Kakarot! That’s right, the uber macho Vegeta is obsessed over a MAN!!! It’s always Kakarot this and Kakarot that. His greatest desire is to kiss him... WITH HIS FISTS... UNTIL HE DOESNT GET BACK UP!

Vegeta's greatest wish is to become immortal and thus Become the strongest warrior in the Universe!!! What are his qualifications you ask? The guy can level a mountain with the flick of his wrist and destroy a Planet With a focused energy Blast!! That's not all his attitude is JUST as overpowered!!!

He LOVES to go on about how he is the Prince of ALL Saiyans. And he LOVES to flip people off right before kicking their ass!!! And, if judged by his legendary "Saiyan Pride," he is the tallest man in the universe. There I managed to get through my entire description of Vegeta without a single Over 9000 reference... OH MY GOD WHAT HAVE I DONE?!?!?!?!

The following is my REALLY explanation for why Vegeta is on this list. It's the only explanation you will EVER need!

2: Emiya Shiro (Fate/Stay Night)

Emiya Shiro is a MAN. He is THE man. When it Comes to Fate Stay night there are none Manlier! He is the Definition of GAR. Don’t Let his Wimpy Facade fool you. He has a well of Inner Strength unmatched by ANYONE in the series and few other anime characters even manage to approach.

He Manages to Achieve the Holy Grail by rejecting the Lie that Was the Holy Grail War. He is a magus with NO talent or potential for magic but by practicing the only talent that he does have (Complete Empathy with his world & the things in it) he manages to achieve the Holy Grail of Magic!

He May be a bitch in the Anime. But the Anime only covers one 3rd of his & the series story. You never really get to see him blossom. You only get a glimpse of what he COULD become!

THE MOST AWESOME ENGRISH OF ALL TIME

But, in the game that the anime partially adapts, you see him BECOME EVERYTHING He longed to be!!! Through his diligence, determination, inner resolve, his unwavering dedication to his beliefs, and self sacrificial nature he becomes the MOST AWESOME & BADASS CHARACTER IN THE SERIES!!! EMIYA SHIRO IS ARCHER THE FUTURE HERO OF JUSTICE!!!

And NOW the moment you've been waiting for the Ultimate form of Manliness! BROTHERLY LOVE!!! At Number 2...

*record scratch*

Antispiral: wait Wait WAIT!!! Number 2?! AGAIN!?

F**K YES NUMBER 2! JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHEN DEALING WITH The Next entry you gotta kick ALL logic out the window! LOGIC HAS NO PLACE IN TEAM DAI GURREN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2?: Kamina & Simon (Gurren Lagann)

Antispiral:WTF?1!!111 BOTH? Two People in one spot? YOU CA---

*Bitchslaps Antispiral out of existence*

I TOLD YOU! LOGIC HAS NO PLACE IN THIS SPOT IN THIS SPOT STFU & GTFO!

Now, as I was saying before i was so rudely interrupted... At number two we have Team Dai Gurren's bad ass leaders & men of indomitable spirit and masculinity, Kamina & Simon! They are brothers! They are two halfs of the same manly whole. They are NOTHING without each other. Each gave the other the strength they needed to tear the heavens a NEW one! To separate them is IMPOSSIBLE! They are the EMBODIMENT of BROTHERLY LOVE! THAT is the ULTIMATE form of manliness... To be able to admit & say you love another MAN without feeling "gay" or need to asert your manliness! This love is the source of ALL of mankinds strength. Its what give us the power to change the universe! To deny this is to deny what makes possible for one to do the impossible...

1: Kenshiro (Hokuto no Ken/Fist of the North Star)

Kenshiro is capable of owning Chuck Norris, but chooses not to. It goes back to Chuck's childhood. After watching the scene where Ken owns Zeed, he was traumatized that there was something so manly. However, he strove to surpass Kenshiro. When they finally faced off, Chuck Norris went into fetal position when Ken﻿ ripped his shirt. Ken pitied Chuck Norris, so he taught him the secret to true manliness. It's Because of Ken that Chuck Norris is the manly man we know him as today.

Kenshiro Represents EVERYTHING it means to be a man. In fact Kung Fu Jesus ORIGINATES with his series Fist of the North Star. He and his brother Toki are the reason that term exists! He is the total package that’s why I have him at #1. He is a Combination of EVERYTHING that put EVERYONE on this list.

Each of the "men" on this list represents an aspect of true manliness. Char represents the tenacity, drive, & dedication with which a real man fights. With Motoko I tried to show that Manliness Has NOTHING to do with Gender. Claire shows the value of the underdog's spirit. Guts is a testament to the nobility of self sacrifice and the strength it brings with it. Black Jack shows that a real man needs compassion, and is able to SAVE lives and not just destroy them. Captain Harlock is proof that REAL men stand by their convictions and do what they believe is right no matter what others think. With Emiya Shiro I tried to Show how embracing you weaknesses and making them your Strengths and they become very things that make you GREAT and Ultimately Manly. With Edward I tried to show maturity, wisdom, personal growth, & the fact that manliness was blind to age. With Kamina & Simon I wanted to show how love is the TRUE source of a man's strength & can make int impossible happen. I also tried to illustrate that REAL men are able to admit their love for each other without having their sexuality threatened! Finally with Vegeta I depicted the Manliness of being a Badass and learning the errors of your ways as shown in the vid.

Kenshiro is the MANLIEST Anime Character to Walk the Face of the Planet. That ISN'T an opinion. IT's Fact!!! As the pic said He is the Ultimate Combination of Chuck Norris, Bruce Lee, & Jesus Christ! Kenshiro and his series have been known to make boys hit puberty early!!! His power and manliness are mind blowing... LITERALLY! One touch from him is enough to make your Head Explode like an infected Zit! Another is enough to cure the crippled. One encounter with him is enough to change your life forever & leave "You wa Shock!"

If you've heard this you are already dead

» Comments: 23

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Everyone is entitled to their opinions yes... but judging from your "you have some boobs in there" crack I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess you you only glanced the list over to check my selections and didn't really read what I actually WROTE meaning you have no idea what this list is really about much less why I chose who I did. Meaning you are in no position to provide critique of it.

If you HAD you would have understood that this is a list of manly anime/manga characters, not necessarily men. Hence why "MEN" is in quotations in the title. Its a list of manly anime characters that best exemplify gar/manliness & it's different aspects.

Of the characters you mentioned only Jet, really qualifies as Gar... Batou is just a man, not especially manly in any special way, though he is a great character. As for Haposai.... OH HEELLL NO!!! That dirty old bastard is a piece of shit not even worthy of being stepped on by ANYONE on this list!!!

....First things first. You have some boobs in there.
your missing Jet from Cowboy beebop. Batou From ghost in the chell. And Haposai from Ranma 1/2
Everyone is entitled to an oppinion so far be it from me to judge but i see some missed oppertunities.

That was awesome. But that wasn't why I liked him so much. It was due to the fact that he put his people & those that served under him first in all things INCLUDING war. I actually admire him for that simple fact, & I'm not talking about in the Series. I admire the real life for that reason Shingen Takeda as well. Though it was greatly exaggerated in Sengoku Basara the real Shingen Takeda was known & respected for it as well. The man Lead by EXAMPLE and was sort of known as a champion of the people as well.

Claire Stanfield is the mother fucking SHIT... Rail tracer FTMFW The ONLY mortal that i know of EVER to make IMMORTALS shit their pants...
Claire is too Psycho/Unhinged to care whether he lives or dies thus is incapable of feeling fear Similar to Lad. Claire does what he lacks the capacity to feel fear.

But IMO Jacuzzi Splot is more Manly... Jacuzzi gets scared shitless but does what he does ANYWAY. He isn't scared for himself but rather others. He is scared he is going to be forced HURT/KILL other people something he HATES doing. IMO Overcoming your fears is more manly than having none in the first place. That said Claire is DEFINITELY the more Badass & Intimidating of the two.

What makes Kenshiro so Manly is INTERNAL. And it is that INTERNAL strength that allows him to do the INCREDIBLE things he does. Let me put it this way... If Kenshiro were in in Gurren Lagann... Well lets just say there would have bee no Anti Spirals Menace to begin with... he would have Stopped it already... with his BARE HANDS... without need for any Super Galactic/UNIVERSE Sized Giant Robot... think about that & EVERYTHING it implies for a minute... let that sink in.

I was implying that Simon was a close second to my fave. THAT should Tell you something.

I would have been sorely disappointed if Kamina didnt make this list, so freaking badass and manly. And this really isnt surprising that you Kenshiro at the top of the list, anyone who didnt see it coming is probably not that smart.

I'm a huge gamer & anime nut. I'm I'm a bit of an goofball nutcase with an extremely random & twisted sense of humor. I value honesty above all else & strive towards it in all that I do. All I expect is others afford me with the same courtesy. I am also quite in/famous for my rants.